It is not that the bombers are back — they never went away. They are not strangers to the area, they will have lived there probably all or most of their lives and been educated there themselves if they were educated at all. They will have learned their bomb-making skills locally as well as been trained in reconnaissance and surveillance. They will be a part of a sophisticated group that is well armed and funded and in all likelihood enjoys the patronage of at least some powerful local figures as well as sympathisers in the police and security services.
All of this follows a well-worn road that leads to a culture of impunity. The bombers will have no fear of being caught let alone put on trial or punished for their crimes. The reason why these men are able to create mayhem at will is that there has never ever been any attempt to create a narrative that countervails that which drives and motivates them — and the same is true in most of the areas that are supposedly “cleared” of such groups with malign intent. Nature abhors a vacuum and the bombers are happy to occupy the one left by civilian administrations.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 11th, 2018.
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